Field
This invention relates generally to droop detectors, and more specifically, to a droop detector configured as a multi-input, multi-stage scalable rectifier.
Background
Typically, integrated circuits receive power from an external power source. These integrated circuits include multiple cores, each of which may be powered by a different external power supply with respect to the others. The different cores may operate at different supply voltages.
During operation, an integrated circuit may undergo power supply droop. Droop may be defined as a transitory reduction in the supply voltage for a given core. Droops may be caused by one or more factors, such as the simultaneous switching of a number of circuits, temperature variations and so forth. Circuitry subject to a power supply droop may experience erroneous operation (e.g., timing failures). Failures resulting from power supply droop may be considered soft failures, since they are not always repeatable in the absence of the drop in the supply voltage. Determining the cause and characterizing such failures may be difficult. However, droops on supplies for cores of a central processing unit (CPU) can lead to computational errors if left uncorrected.